Bystanders stay where police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)A man injured in the Bondi Beach “terror attack” has told local broadcaster 9News that the scene turned into “absolute chaos” as gunfire broke out during a public celebration. Speaking with a bloodied face and a bandage around his head, the man said he was at the beach with his family for a Hanukkah event when shots were fired. “It was a bloodbath, it was an absolute massacre,” he told 9News.
He said hundreds of people were present on Sunday at the world famous beach in Australia’s Sydney, including children and elderly people, when the shooting began.
“There were families enjoying themselves,” he said. “Children were playing and then all of a sudden there was gunfire everywhere. People were ducking. We didn’t know what was happening or where the shots were coming from.”
What happened on October 7
On October 7, 2023, Israel was struck by terrorist attacks of an unprecedented scale and brutality in the worst anti-Semitic massacre since the Holocaust. In an unusual coincidence, he revealed that he had lived in Israel for the past 13 years and survived the October 7 attacks in 2023. “October 7 was the last time I saw something like this,” he said. “I never thought I would see this in Australia, not in my lifetime, and not on Bondi Beach.”
The man, who has not been identified, said his main concern was getting his wife and children to safety. He said they managed to escape unharmed.
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“I saw at least one gunman firing randomly and in all directions,” he said. “I saw children fall to the ground. I saw elderly people. It was an absolute bloodbath.”
The man said he had arrived in Australia two weeks ago to work with the Jewish community. “I came here to work with the Jewish community, to fight antisemitism, to fight this hatred,” he said.
Despite the attack, he said he remained determined. “We’ve lived through worse. We’re going to get through this,” he said. “And we’re going to get the people who did this.”
Police have confirmed that two gunmen opened fire from a bridge overlooking Bondi Beach. Authorities say multiple people have been killed and others injured. Investigations are continuing, and police have urged the public to avoid the area as inquiries remain ongoing.
